


21 Questions

by Goldenonyx



Series: Max's Naruto November [5]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Hokage Kakashi, M/M, Oblivious Sasuke, Sasuke comes home, end fluff, inspired by 21 questions by waterparks, kiba/shikamaru/sasuke friendship, sasuke makes things harder than they need to be, we stan kakashi, what a guy that shikamaru
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2019-11-06
Packaged: 2021-01-24 03:07:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Goldenonyx/pseuds/Goldenonyx
Summary: “You’re worried about the affect you have on Naruto.”Sasuke nodded.“You’re worried the village doesn’t trust you.”He nodded again.“You’re worried the village will think poorly of Naruto because of how close the two of you are.”He hesitated slightly before nodding a third time.“Why does any of that matter?”Or Sasuke is the last to know he has feelings for Naruto and doesn't know what to do about it.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Series: Max's Naruto November [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533464
Comments: 18
Kudos: 254





	21 Questions

If someone were to have told Sasuke a year ago he would be back in Konoha, about to have lunch with Shikamaru and Kiba, he would have scoffed. If someone were to have told him that he did this _every week?_ He would assume they were out of their mind. Yet here he was, eleven months and twenty-six days back in Konoha, meeting Kiba and Shikamaru at yet another restaurant he’d never heard of but Kiba insisted was ‘to die for.’ He wasn’t sure how he had managed to get roped into these outings, or even how he’d managed to make friends with those two out of everyone. The past year had thrown surprise after surprise at Sasuke, and as he approached a smiling Kiba and a bored Shikamaru, he decided that yeah, this is just his life now.

When he’d first found himself back in Konoha, he really wasn’t sure what to do with himself. He’d taken some time to work on the Uchiha compound, cleaning and rebuilding, but that had grown tiring rather quickly. Kakashi had been willing to reinstate him as a Leaf Shinobi, but Sasuke just hadn’t felt right about it. He’d betrayed the village, a few times at that, and while he knew that, if the opportunity arose, he would gladly give his life for Konoha, reinstating himself was a bigger issue than it was worth. That wasn’t a position he wanted to put Kakashi in, as Hokage the village would trust his judgement, but trusting Sasuke was an entire different subject.

Naruto had latched onto Sasuke immediately, and after the initial awkward feelings, Sasuke gave in little by little. Nobody loved Konoha more than Naruto, and while that fact baffled Sasuke, it was something anyone could see. The first few months after his return, Naruto had taken to showing Sasuke around, pointing out the new things that came to the village while he was away. It was never brought up, but these tours weighed heavy on Sasuke’s mind, he knew that he wasn’t complete innocent when it came to the destruction of the village. He knew Naruto held no ill feelings about it, the intention was clearly to help Sasuke feel more at home, but those emotions sat in the back of his mind, pushing into his thoughts just long enough to remind him of what he’d done.

By the fourth month of his return, Naruto had somehow convinced him to tag along to one of their ‘Generational Get-Togethers’ as he called it. He’d felt more than awkward, seeing all of the people he once went to school with, even tried to kill a few times, on purpose or not. The tension in the air was thick as Sasuke approached, Naruto a beacon of sunshine in front of him. Kiba and Shikamaru were the ones to simply continue on as if nothing had happened, which is probably why Sasuke found himself in their company more and more as time progressed.

It started off with just the monthly get-togethers, Naruto would drag Sasuke along and he’d find himself sticking to Kiba and Shikamaru, eventually contributing to the conversations himself. Over time Naruto was able to stop trying to persuade Sasuke to come, he just did it on his own. It felt natural, normal even, and the more he showed up around the others, the more they seemed to relax to his presence.

At about the seventh month mark, Naruto had been sent out on a mission to the Land of Wind. It was the first time Sasuke had found himself without the blond since coming back, and he didn’t know what to do with himself. The mission was scheduled for two weeks, and after the first four days, Naruto’s absence was noticeable. He was lonely, and that wasn’t something Sasuke was used to. He had spent so much time alone in his past, being alone for a few more weeks should have been fine. By the sixth day, he finally gave in, tracking down an overjoyed Kiba and smug Shikamaru. It was weird, going out with friends, and even weirding going out without Naruto, but Sasuke would be lying if he said he hadn’t enjoyed himself. Thus began their weekly meet ups.

Naruto had been ecstatic when he heard that Sasuke was making efforts on his own to make friends. Sasuke had just shrugged, saying he never really minded the other two, but the giant grin on the others face made him feel an odd sense of pride. Later that week, when they all met up for their monthly gathering, Sasuke could feel Naruto’s eyes on him as he sat, half listening to Kiba go off about whatever his current hyperfixation was. When he finally looked over, something threw him off, an emotion he couldn’t quite place, but it left him with an odd feeling deep in his stomach.

By month ten, Sasuke had found himself in a comfortable routine. His work on the Uchiha compound has slowed, but on the days had could convince Kiba and Shikamaru to help out, it helped him forget the bad memories he had of the place and replace them with some better ones. At first they had been rather quiet affairs, but as they grew more comfortable Kiba and Shikamaru began asking about things they came across. It had surprised Sasuke when he found himself answering them; he was even more surprised that he wanted to answer them. Sometimes he even found himself talking unprompted, and while he would have never gone into such things in the past, it didn’t bother him. He trusted them, and when he first realized that it had made him uncomfortable, but it was also nice. He wasn’t on his own anymore, and the more he thought about it, the more he realized he never was.

He could have come home at any time, because despite all of the things he had been caught up in, he had people in Konoha who never gave up on him. Kakashi had always taught them that shinobi who left their teammates were scum, and he had always taken that from only one angle. He had left, so he was scum. Never before had he thought about the other implications, the implications that even if he did leave, his team might still care about him. Whether he had meant it to happen or not, the bond he had with his team was strong, and he knew that if Sakura or Naruto would have been the one in his position, he would have waited with a punch to the face and snide remark, welcoming them home when they finally found their way.

And here he was, almost a year back in Konoha, and he was finally, _finally_ home. The puzzle was finally starting to come together, beginning to show the blues and oranges of a bigger picture. He felt a barely there grin on his face as he sat, listening to Kiba try to convince them that he could absolutely build a working fort out of nothing but spoons, Shikamaru just shaking his head, most likely coming up with his own _real_ plan on how to make that work. The smile didn’t go unnoticed by his two companions however, and an unsaid agreement to put the spoon conversation on hold seemed to pass between them as they teamed up on Sasuke.

“We’ve grown on you that much huh?” Kiba teased, his teeth poking out of his cheesy grin. Sasuke shrugged, which by now the others knew wasn’t a denial.

“You’ve almost been back an entire year,” Shikamaru said, his demeanor casual but his meaning not escaping the others.

“Has it really only been a year? Feels like a lot longer,” is probably what Kiba said, but with the amount of food he decided to stuff in his mouth, it could have been anything.

“It feels weird,” Sasuke admitted, still not the best at expressing his feelings. Shikamaru just nodded while Kiba made some sort of affirmative noise.

“Say Sasuke, as one of your absolute best friends in the entire world, I’ve been wanting to ask you something for a while,” Kiba said after finally swallowing the unhuman amount of food he had unceremoniously inhaled. Shikamaru gave him a sidelong glance, another unspoken conversation passing between them. Sasuke was getting better at reading them, but he was still only at about a fifty percent success rate. When Shikamaru didn’t say anything, Sasuke just nodded, assuming that if Shikamaru thought it was safe, it probably would be.

“Why did you start hanging out with us? Not that we aren’t super stoked you did, it’s just that nobody really expected you to go out of your way, ya know?” From the look Shikamaru gave, clearly that would not have been how he would have worded it, but when they both turned to watch Sasuke, waiting for an answer, apparently it contained the same point.

“You two didn’t seem to care I was back. You acted like it was no big deal, and that was more comfortable I guess,” it wasn’t the best answer, he knew that, but these two knew him, they were his friends, so they would read between the lines and understand what he meant.

“What about Naruto?” Shikamaru asked, which threw Sasuke for a loop.

“What about Naruto?” he asked back. Bringing up Naruto seemed odd, and he didn’t understand how the two topics connected.

“How does he feel about all the time you spend with us?” Sasuke had a bad feeling about where this was going, but other than that feeling he was just confused. It seemed completely random, talking about Naruto all of a sudden. He didn’t get it.

“I don’t know, what does that have to do with anything?” Sasuke was starting to lose his patience with them. Why they couldn’t just come out and say whatever they were insinuating he had no idea.

“He’s clueless!” Kiba almost whispered, earning a glance from Shikamaru before he focused on Sasuke again.

“Okay, answer me this then, if Naruto had not been sent on a two week mission, would you have sought us out?”

“I … don’t know,” Sasuke answered honestly, because he didn’t. If Naruto hadn’t been gone so long, he wouldn’t have needed to find Shikamaru and Kiba, but that’s not to say he wouldn’t have eventually.

“What are you trying to get at?” he grumbled, growing tired of whatever game they were playing. They could either spit it out or drop it, but Sasuke was done with whatever it was.

“Sasuke, have you ever really sat down and thought about your and Naruto’s relationship? We’ve established that the three of us are friends, but you and Naruto have a very different relationship than the one you have with us.” Shikamaru explained, keeping eye contact throughout.

“What are you saying?” is all Sasuke could bring himself to say. That feeling in his stomach from a few months before was back, and all he knew was that he didn’t like what was happening.

“Some of the others have started talking about how you and Naruto are, well, _you and Naruto_. Which, ya know, whether that’s true or not isn’t any of their business, we just thought we might tell you because –“

“Because you’re emotionally constipated and probably had no idea any of this was happening.” Shikamaru finished matter-of-factly. He was right, Sasuke wasn’t the best with emotions, but why should he care what others thought in the first place. If they read too much into something that was on them, not him. Sensing that everything they’d just said was flying over Sasuke’s head, Shikamaru coughed before single handedly ending Sasuke’s life.

“Our point is that you very obvious have feelings for Naruto but haven’t realized it.”

Oh

He was an idiot. The world’s biggest idiot. He should get some sort of prize, maybe a trophy or certificate. After being metaphorically sucker punched in the throat by Shikamaru, he and Kiba had gone back to their spoon conversation as if Sasuke hadn’t been left bleeding on the floor. He had just sat by quietly, picking mindlessly at his food and tuning his friends out. He couldn’t help but feel like he had been hit by the full force of Konoha’s ANBU. Once their outing was finally deemed over, they parted ways as if everything was normal, making general plans for next week before heading their separate ways. Sasuke had no idea how he made it back home, but once within the walls of the compound, he allowed everything to rush in, finally allowing him to see what was right in front of him.

He could have done a lot of things after the war, but ultimately he had decided to stay in the very village he had tried to destroy. When he had first made that decision, he had a generic excuse he used for all of the interrogations, but he had never allowed himself to really think about the _why_. He knew Naruto had been pursuing him since he had first left Konoha, knew how determined the other boy was to bring him home. Nobody had ever put that much effort into anything for Sasuke, so he supposed it wasn’t all that farfetched. Naruto was a big, if not the main reason he had decided to stay. He still remembers the look on Naruto’s face when he told him, and in that moment he knew all the interrogations and lack of trust from the village would be worth it.

Naruto had hardly left his side the entire time he had been back, except for missions and more recently when Sasuke had begun branching out. That last group outing still sits weird with Sasuke, that look he caught in Naruto’s eye, but he still doesn’t have anything. He thought back to what Shikamaru said, about what Naruto thought about their weekly lunches, and Sasuke didn’t know why that mattered. Naruto had loads of friends, finding time for all of them was difficult enough as it was, Sasuke spending time elsewhere made things easier. But, then again, Naruto would have a lot more time for his other friends if he didn’t spend all of his time with Sasuke.

Now he was starting to see the problem.

His feelings for Naruto weren’t the same as the feelings he had for Shikamaru and Kiba. They were deeper, stronger, built on years of interaction and bonds. He came back to a village he had convinced himself he hated for Naruto, he had put aside his anger and hunger for revenge _for Naruto_. No one else could have done that, not Kiba, not Shikamaru, no one.

Realizing his feelings isn’t what scared him, it was something else Shikamaru had brought up that bothered him. Other people noticed Sasuke’s feelings. Other people thought he and Naruto were _together_. Naruto was a hero; an important shinobi of Konoha and future Hokage. And Sasuke, Sasuke was the last Uchiha, a clan known for having tension with Konoha. He was a traitor; he had left his team behind and tried to destroy the village. He was scum, and he didn’t care what people said about him, but Naruto? He cared what they said about Naruto. He had never thought about it before, but Naruto associating with Sasuke was probably one of the worst things he _could_ do, and knowing that Naruto was too nice to do anything about it himself, Sasuke decided it would have to be on him.

Over the next few weeks, Sasuke slowly started putting space between Naruto and himself. He had tried to be strategic about it, attempting to make it look more like life was getting in the way, but he knew he wasn’t being completely unseen. Shikamaru seemed to notice, as he always did, but other than a raised eyebrow he hadn’t said anything. Naruto himself proved to be the biggest obstacle, he had always been good at reading Sasuke. He was trying so hard to put distance between them that he didn’t even notice himself falling back into the same hole he had been in when he had found himself back in Konoha.

Naruto had tried to ask him about it, but Sasuke had just shrugged. He had been doing that a lot lately, shrugging off concern. The others had noticed it as well, he was quieter during their outings and began keeping more to himself, spending more time at the Uchiha compound and less time in the village. Naruto was worried, he knew that, but he kept trying to convince himself that this was for the best. He was doing this all to himself, so he kept his head down and let the pain numb him.

He still saw Naruto every day, though their meetings grew more and more stagnant. Naruto was trying so hard, bringing lunch by the compound and carrying entire conversations by himself, but Sasuke could see the effect it was having. He felt bad for causing Naruto pain, but he had to. ‘This is the last time,’ he’s try to convince himself. ‘After this, he’ll be free of me.’

The real reason Sasuke had sought out Kiba and Shikamaru that day all those months ago wasn’t all because he was lonely or bored, but because he had a hard time being alone. Up until that point Naruto had been with him constantly, so in his absence he needed other people he could be around. He knew now though, nobody could give him the same comfort that Naruto did, and knowing that he was willingly giving that up kept him up at night.

After a month had gone by, Shikamaru had finally snapped. Kiba had been on a mission, so that week it was just him and Sasuke. An uncomfortable silence had dominated the atmosphere, and eventually Shikamaru had just got up and left, not a word between the two. Sasuke knew he deserved it, he knew that there were so many other ways to go about everything, but he was sticking with his original plan. With a sigh, he pushed himself up and wandered home, thinking about all the ways he’d fucked up the life he was finally content with.

When he heard a knock on his door that night, he knew it was Shikamaru. The tense atmosphere from earlier was sure to have cooled down by now, so he figured that if anyone was going to stop by, it would be him. What he wasn’t expecting, however, was the blunt statement that came out of his mouth. Before Sasuke could even register the words, he was gone.

“I told Naruto, you have about three minutes before he shows up.”

He didn’t think, he couldn’t think. Instead, he just let himself react, which is how he found himself sitting in Kakashi’s kitchen, the other man giving him a bored look before going back to whatever he was making. Sasuke wasn’t one hundred percent sure why he was here in the first place, but it was an excuse to avoid his problems, so he’d take it. Kakashi didn’t ask any questions, he just allowed Sasuke to wallop in silence, and he was grateful. Sitting in his sensei’s house, he figured that if anyone could help him sort out his head, it would be Kakashi.

“I don’t think I can stay here,” he said, resting his head in his hands. He heard Kakashi walk over and place something down on the table before taking a seat, letting Sasuke’s statement resonate in the silence.

“And why is that?” Kakashi prompted, somehow sipping tea through his mask. Sasuke had come to him for advice, so he saw no reason to lie.

“I’m too much of a distraction for Naruto,” he sighed, lifting his head and accepting the tea the other man had set out for him.

“You’d be even more of a distraction if you left,” Kakashi replied simply. He was right, they had years of evidence to suggest that’s exactly what would happen, but Sasuke wasn’t done trying.

“Then I’ll make him hate me first,” he tried, but he already knew Kakashi’s response before he even opened his mouth.

“You’ve already tried to kill him multiple times.”

“Yeah.”

. . .

“This isn’t something I can run from, is it?” Sasuke sighed, defeated.

“Is it something you have to run from at all?” Kakashi countered, finishing his tea and standing from the table. “Whatever decision you make I’ll support you, but it’ll be a lot easier on all of us if it’s the right decision.”

“If I knew the right decision do you really think I would be here right now?” Sasuke muttered, slightly annoyed.

“Is this your way of asking for advice?” Kakashi asked, amusement present in his voice. Sasuke stared at him for a moment before he nodded, shoulders sagging. Now was not the time to try and keep up appearances.

“You’re worried about the affect you have on Naruto.”

Sasuke nodded.

“You’re worried the village doesn’t trust you.”

He nodded again.

“You’re worried the village will think poorly of Naruto because of how close the two of you are.”

He hesitated slightly before nodding a third time.

“Why does any of that matter?”

“What?” Sasuke finally asked, looking up from the table and at his sensei.

“Why does it matter?” Kakashi challenged, his brow raised.

“Because it’s Naruto. He’s dreamed of become Hokage his entire life, if the village doesn’t trust me how are they going to willingly trust Naruto’s decisions when I’m so close?” he practically rambled, his voice raising the more he talked.

“I’m Hokage, I trust you. Nobody seems to have a problem with that,” Kakashi shrugged.

“But that’s different,” Sasuke tried to argue. “I’m not –“he cut himself off, but Kakashi finished the sentence anyway.

“You’re not in love with me.”

“I –“he started, a denial of what Kakashi was planning on the tip of his tongue. But what was the point of denying what he had known for so long, something that clearly everyone else had known as well.

“Yeah, I’m not. But I can’t do that to him, he doesn’t deserve that.”

“That sounds a lot like you’re making a decision you don’t have full say over,” Kakashi said, a copy of Icha Icha appearing out of nowhere. “You can’t decide anything for Naruto. Whether you think you’re making the right decision or not, it doesn’t really matter unless he agrees.” The conversation was over, but it gave Sasuke the confidence he needed to proceed. With a nod to his sensei, he left, leaping from rooftop to rooftop until he arrived home.

Naruto was there, waiting on his front step. He wasn’t sure how long he had been at Kakashi’s, but something odd stirred inside him knowing that Naruto had waited. Sensing his presence, Naruto looked up, watching as Sasuke slowly approached. It was a tense silence, too many unspoken words hanging in the air between them. Wordlessly he walked past Naruto, unlocking the door and trusting that Naruto would follow. The silence stretched on as they found themselves awkwardly standing in the dining room, neither one able to figure out what to do with themselves.

They both knew the conversation they weren’t having. Naruto knew Sasuke enough to know what he’d say and Sasuke knew Naruto enough to know his responses. They were at a standstill, a stalemate, but they both knew that until they got over this, until they figured this out, nothing would progress.

“What did he tell you,” Sasuke finally said. He may as well try and figure out exactly how much Naruto knew.

“That you’re an idiot, but I already knew that,” Naruto chuckled. It was strained, a weak attempt to lighten the mood.

“And why are you here?” it had sounded more hostile than he had meant for it to, but Naruto seemed unbothered.

“I was worried about you.”

“I’m not leaving,” he sighed, settling down in a chair.

“I know,” Naruto said, not moving from his spot by the wall.

“Would you follow me, if I did?” he found himself asking. He wasn’t going to leave, but for some reason Naruto’s answer was important to him.

“Yes.” The lack of hesitation should have worried Sasuke, but instead he found that odd feeling floating back into his stomach.

“Why?”

“Why did you come back?” Naruto asked him, his gaze unwavering.

“I had nowhere else to go.”

“That’s it?”

“You asked me to stay,” he admitted, earning a barely contained grin from the other boy.

“If I asked you to stay again, would you?” Naruto asked, his voice a gentle whisper as he walked closer to Sasuke.

“Yes,” Sasuke breathed, unable to take his eyes away as Naruto approached him. Naruto could ask him anything and Sasuke would have agreed to it.

“Stay,” he said, the words hitting Sasuke’s lips. Even if his brain was working properly, he wouldn’t have been able to answer any better than this. Lips touched lips and all of the stress Sasuke had been building up melted away. That feeling in his stomach exploded into bright shades of orange, and suddenly he understood everything his friends had been trying to tell him for months. It didn’t matter how much distance he put between them, he and Naruto were bound, always destined to find each other. He’d never had any choice, but as he found himself reaching up, entangling his hands in Naruto’s hair, he realized he wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

Later he would talk to Naruto about his fears. Later he would punch Shikamaru for interfering. Later he would find a way to thank his friends and sensei. But now, now he had Naruto, clumsily maneuvering himself onto Sasuke’s lap without breaking the kiss, and that’s really all that mattered. Sasuke felt himself smile against Naruto, feeling his smile in return, before pressing back with all the feeling he’d been holding in all these years. When Naruto pushed back with just as much passion, Sasuke couldn’t help but wonder why it had taken them so long to get here.

That night, with Naruto sprawled out next to him, Sasuke couldn’t help the smile and soft words that fell out of his mouth.

“I’m home.”


End file.
